"From there, Madison went on a Smurfberry binge on the family iPad. "

[phantom power]

This is a serious story, however that is the funniest sentence I've read recently.
:evilgrin:

Over the winter break from school, 8-year-old Madison worked to dress up her simple mushroom home on the iPhone game Smurfs' Village. In doing so, she also amassed a $1,400 bill from Apple.

...

The games are part of a category of applications on Apple's iTunes store that are free to download but let companies charge users for products and services when the application is launched. Following Apple, Google this week introduced these so-called "in-app purchases" for Android mobile phones and tablets, which experts say could create a new economy for newspapers, record labels and movie studios that have been struggling with ways to thrive online.

...

Madison's mother let her download Smurfberries with the help of her older sister, who knew the family's iTunes password. From there, Madison went on a Smurfberry binge on the family iPad.

Arlington second-grader Leyla Ulku figured out her parents' password and recently racked up a $150 charge from buying buckets of stars and snowflakes to build a safari out of sea turtles and giraffes on Tap Zoo.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/07/AR2011020706073.html

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. There is a problem when

you can rack that much and not even know it.

Why apps and app use has to be SUPERVISED.

[phantom power]

2. I'm assuming that a pre-stored credit card number was involved here.

I don't know how iTunes works, but I'll be willing to bet it's kind of like Amazon's "1-click," right?

I don't much care for sites like Amazon who keep your credit card number around. I will cheerfully re-enter my CC number for each purchase, thank you. I'm making an assumption, but I bet that this kid was able to do this in large part because the app automatically charged against a pre-stored credit card number.

[Ilsa]

3. I have to enter my password if I want to buy, even upgrade, a free app,

But yes, a credit card is stored with iTunes.

[phantom power]

4. The kid had the passwd. I'm just wondering, did she also need to enter the CC #?

[Ilsa]

6. Sorry, I clarified my answer... No, it is stored in iTunes.

[SoCalDem]

5. If that little girl had a name like Paula Jean, she would have never done that dastardly thing

:spank:

[countingbluecars]

7. That is a funny sentence!

It sounds like something from The Far Side.

[damntexdem]

8. Time to zap those apps.

Meanwhile, those kids may need to look into the new confessional app. ;-)

[Electric Monk]

9. You may think you're just joking, but there is one

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/opinion/09dowd.html

With the help of two priests, three young Catholic men from South Bend, Ind., have developed an iPhone app to guide Catholics through — and if they are lapsed, back to — confession.

It shot to global success, ranking No. 42 on the best-selling app list, according to iTunes.

[frylock]

10. $99 for a wagon of Smurfberries..

whiskey tango foxtrot?!!

[MrScorpio]

11. Whenever I buy stuff on iTunes, I get email alerts of all my charges

Where are the parents here?